Competition A Key Event For Pianists

February 11, 1990|By TIM SMITH, Music Writer

The value of having piano competitions, which continue to proliferate, no doubt will be debated perpetually. One side will keep arguing that they represent a great way of identifying special talent; the other side will continue to maintain that all we get are musically faceless pianists who can only play well enough to suit jurors, not make a significant, lasting artistic impression.

But once you get past that issue, it is much easier to find agreement on the value of specific piano competitions. On the international front, the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Chopin Competition in Warsaw and the Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, remain at the top of the list in terms of prestige and, in most cases, results.

And on the American front, a pianistic contest held every five years in Miami gradually has emerged with distinction.

The Fourth National Chopin Piano Competition, which gets under way next Sunday at Miami`s Gusman Cultural Center, is the main enterprise of the Chopin Foundation of the United States.

That organization was founded by Blanka Rosenstiel in 1977 after the success of the first competition in 1975, which was a joint project of the University of Miami and the American Institute of Polish Culture. Since then, the foundation has been devoted not only to its namesake (all sorts of activities are undertaken annually involving the study and performance of Chopin`s music), but it also is committed to supporting young American musicians (native or naturalized) in a variety of exceptional ways.

What makes the foundation`s competition particularly significant is the bonus for the top four winners. In addition to concert bookings and/or cash prizes (a combined value of more than $70,000 this year), each is automatically admitted to the Chopin Competition in Warsaw (also quinquennial), with all expenses paid.

(As a complement to this, the foundation also has sponsored the South Florida recital debuts of recent Warsaw competition winners.)

It is easy to understand why pianists might strive for a victory in Warsaw, where the next International Chopin Competition will be held in October. For one thing, Chopin signifies to most pianists and general music lovers the pinnacle of the keyboard repertoire; playing that repertoire in the land of the composer`s birth is a rare treat in itself. And anyone who can get an imprimatur from the International Chopin Competition has a better than average chance of achieving success elsewhere.

From its start in 1927, that competition has produced some remarkable stars. The first winner, Lev Oborin from the Soviet Union, later taught Vladimir Ashkenazy, who, at 17, took second place in 1955. In 1947, Bella Davidovich, another exceptional Soviet, shared first prize.

Any list of today`s greatest keyboard artists would have to include at least three more Warsaw gold medalists -- Maurizio Pollini (1960), Martha Argerich (1965) and Krystian Zimerman (1975). And the only American to win so far, Garrick Ohlsson (1970), is of unusually high caliber, too.

Even losing in Warsaw can be advantageous. When the uniquely gifted Ivo Pogorelich was eliminated before the finals in 1980, Argerich, then a judge, abruptly resigned in protest. The incident made international headlines and Pogorelich gave a sold-out loser`s concert in Warsaw that created a sensation; he also received a lucrative recording contract and soon made important debuts around the globe. (The eventual winner that year, Dang Thai Son from Vietnam, did not exactly take the music world by storm.)

Meanwhile, the Miami competition`s boost for American representation in Warsaw has not yet paid off in a gold medal. But the first place winner of the inaugural National Chopin Competition, Dean Kramer, did take the bronze in 1975.

And major winners of the American event have accumulated some impressive credits outside of Poland. Two pianists who took second place in Miami, Ian Hobson (1975) and the increasingly popular Jeffrey Kahane (1980), went on to win the gold at the Arthur Rubinstein International Competition.

Overall, the caliber of entrants in the Miami enterprise has been high, and this year`s list looks as if it will be no exception. As of last week, 23 hopefuls were expected to participate.

These include lots of Juilliard-trained pianists; a brother and sister competing against each other (Edward and Janina Jasiewicz from Pennsylvania); a student of Davidovich (John Blacklow from Boston); a student of the University of Miami`s Ivan Davis (Tina Faigen); and the third-place winner of the 1986 Palm Beach Invitational Competition (Charlotte Behrendt).

From dozens of initial applicants, the list of candidates was whittled down through auditions and reviewing of tapes. This was done by John DeLancie, dean of the New World School of the Arts; pianist Jack Lowe, noted member of the former duo-piano team, Whittemore and Lowe; and pianist/teacher Susan Starr.